Last week, the president showed he didn’t want to touch Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security in his budget bill.
Republican lawmakers said President Donald Trump has shown his willingness to add job requirements to individuals receiving Medicaid as GOP lawmakers try to hash transactions on spending cuts on the budget bill.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said the minimum work requirements for Medicaid adult recipients, which provide medical coverage to millions of low-income individuals, are being considered. Trump has shown he could support such a measure, Smith said.
Medicaid is on the list of programs that house Republicans who advocate for deep spending cuts, and is hoping for ways to cut federal spending up to $2 trillion over the next decade. The cuts will help cover the costs of extending the 2017 tax cut in the proposed bill.
Analysis of budget and policy priorities shows that most Medicaid adults work full-time or part-time, while most adults are full-time caregivers or disabled.
Trump said Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare, federal health insurance programs for people over the age of 65, could not be touched on the GOP budget bill. However, the president said illegal immigrants who may be using the program could be targeted.
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In a recent interview, Trump did not comment on whether he wanted to add work requirements to Medicaid.
The GOP lawmaker also said Medicaid is in a “crisis.” Because they argued it was created as “a safety net for low-income children, pregnant women, elderly people and individuals with disabilities.” However, their letter states that “policy distorted” the emphasis on “maximizing federal payments over care.”
“We want to repeat our strong support for this (Medicaid) program, which ensures that our members have reliable healthcare,” they write. “Balancing the federal budget should not come at the expense of those who rely on these interests for health and economic security.”
The Epoch Times contacted the White House for comments but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Reuters contributed to this report.
